AD/ PR product. Thanks so much to the publisher, the author Imogen Greenberg, the illustrator Isbael Greenberg, and to Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As an aspiring classicist, and overall classical enthusiast, I was so thrilled to discover a new children’s book about greek mythology, especially about mythological figures that aren’t often talked about it children’s non-fiction, such as Gaia. I also did really enjoy how this book discussed the Gigantomachy, as again, it is rarely discussed in children’s retellings. I also loved the occasional references to other myths and I also enjoyed the occasional pop culture reference too, including “Get in, loser. we’re going on an adventure”.
Isabel Greenberg’s illustrations in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Vivid colours, diverse characters and each gods’ personalities shone through. My favourite piece of artwork featured was one of Gaia with flowing green hair, and animals and creatures living inside it. It was vibrant and I could feel the momentum and movement within.
However, I do have a lot of critiques for this book. I felt that the creation of the world was very Christianised. In accurate mythology, it was Prometheus and Epimetheus (under Zeus’ request) who created humans and animals, yet in this version, it was Gaia who created all, whilst Prometheus and Epimetheus were not mentioned. I felt that the Ancient Greek creation story was altered so heavily that it appeared to mimic the Christian Genesis creation story, and in doing so, felt extremely distanced itself from actual mythology.
On top of that, the story of the Titans was told extremely out of order, with humans being created during Ouranus’ rule, instead of after Cronos’ defeat. And the Olympians were established as ruling over the own domains all along, even before they had won the Titan war. Elements like this felt confusing and pointless to me, as the book discusses from the creation of the universe, to the Titan War, to the battle of the giants and the gods, so why couldn’t the events be told a more accurate order? I understand that interpretations differ, but the order of events discussed in this book was so far off any interpretation I have read or studied that it felt, at times, lazy. Especially when discussing false details such as Aphrodite being called Athena’s sister, instead of born from Ouranous.
Whilst I understand that having such a large array of figures and events in such a short children’s book who be confusing (and some topics would be far too inappropriate for children), I felt that the mythology was handled quite poorly, which for a book which acts as a re-telling and introduction to mythology, is a big problem. Many other children’s books on mythology have managed to find a balance between accurate retellings and interesting and digestible information for children, this book falls a bit flat on that.
However, the concept of introducing children to the Classics is something I am a firm supporter and believer in. Although I have not read all of their books, I do know that the Greenberg sisters have published other works on Greek mythology and history, so I am inclined to check those out to see how they compare to this book. I also loved how this book did not romanticise the gods, and instead, encourages children to not adopt the selfish behaviours of them. It also encourages children to treat the environment with love.
This book is a brief re-telling of the lead-up to the Titanomachy and Giantomachy, as well as the aftermath and the gods’ relations with humans. I’d say, if you are to read this book, or give this book to a loved one, I would consider that. more detailed discussions and children’s books may be needed to learn a bit more. Overall, I’d rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5. It was a visually appealing introduction to the mythology, which would be able to act as a decent stepping stone to learning about Greek mythological origins for children, and also ends of a call-to-action about changing the world through environmentalism.
Dorothy's Bookshelf 